Blog

You've planned a stellar event with a program your guests will absolutely grant you at least a 9 for NPS. What could go wrong? Well, the first thing to get right is your guests' arrival (and after that United Air fiasco, hopefully we're all on the same page when it comes to creating a smooth and peaceful check-in process). Registration is where your guests' on-site experience begins. If it goes wrong, it can be a disaster, leaving a bad taste in the attendee's mouth from the start -- and that can be a hard emotion to turn around. To help avoid catastrophe, we've put together a handy checklist to make sure your experience is nothing but the best.

SIGNAGE

How will you tell people where to go and prevent them from getting lost and frustrated?

Directional Signs: show people where they're going. Determine the number of signs needed to help direct people across your event, from entry to sponsor floor to general session, breakouts, lunch, etc.

Line Signs: how will you split the lines to expedite check-in? By last name, pass type, speaker vs. sponsor vs. attendee? Make these signs clear so people get in the right line and can move through quickly.

Displays: determine messaging you'd like to showcase throughout your space and how each sign will be displayed. For example, is it digital, hanging, floor sign, wall/window decals, or on an easel?

TECHNOLOGY

How do you plan on checking people in?

Check-in process: will guests check into a kiosk or with a human at a check-in desk using an app or is there a multi-step process?

# of devices needed: 1 per registration staff plus a few spares as back-up should have you covered. Sharing will just slow things down and doesn't take full advantage of your staff.

For specific attendees, do alerts need to be set up to let your team know they've arrived?

If you're accepting payments on-site, what types of payments are accepted? How many devices are required to process credit payments (if any)? Are you accepting cash?

STAFFING

How many people do you need working the event registration?

How many people are needed to staff registration? We recommend 1-2 staff members per 100 guests. Have 2 staff members at a concierge/help desk to handle any ticket issues and avoid creating a back-up in the registration lines.

Will you need any temp staff or can you pull volunteers from your team?

Will security or coat check be needed?

What's the dress code for staff?

What time should they arrive?

Will there be training in advance?

FAQ FOR STAFF

Provide some helpful guidance to your staff to help avoid any on-site issues.

What happens if someone is not on the guest list?

What if someone brings additional guests?

Are tickets discounted for day of or half / partial day?

Are tickets transferable?

Who is the DRI for staff questions?

What if the internet goes down?

What if there is an emergency?

In case of bad weather, what is plan B?

Can someone leave tickets behind for friends?

REGISTRATION PACKING LIST

Create a separate checklist to keep track of these and ensure you've got what you need to run a successful event.

Check-in devices and chargers (charge overnight)

Pen & paper per staff member

Signage (and display supplies)

For attendees: swag/giveaways, badges, lanyards, event materials

Refreshments to keep staff hydrated and full!

Did we miss anything? Any check-in nightmares or highlights you'd like to share? Drop us a note in the comments below!